ENHANCING COMPUTER-BASED MUSIC ASSESSMENT THROUGH MULTIMEDIA INTEGRATION: AN EXPLORATIVE APPRAISAL OF JAMB AND OTHER NIGERIAN PUBLIC EXAMINATION BODIES

Abstract

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the importance of public examinations, and the ongoing challenges facing assessment systems underscore the need for digitally-driven approaches to restore public trust and ensure the reliability of these exams. It is evident that the assessment of Music by Nigerian public examination bodies lacks the impactful integration of multimedia, such as innovative and interactive Music items enabled by Information and Communication Technology (ICT). This absence of innovation in Music assessments has negatively affected the credibility of Nigeria’s examination bodies and diminished candidates' cognitive and aural skills. To date, the National Examinations Council (NECO) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC) have not adopted technological tools for Music assessment. Although the Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPEB) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) have introduced computer-based Music assessments, these processes remain vulnerable to human interference and potential manipulation of musical scores. Currently, Nigerian high-stakes examination bodies still lack interactive and innovative Music items in their assessments. This paper takes an expository approach, advocating for the adoption of innovative technologies and digitalization in Music assessment. The research outlines the components and benefits of technological innovations in assessment digitization, concluding that 21st-century digital assessments and enhanced technological controls are critical to ensuring credible high-stakes exams. The paper recommends that NECO and WAEC introduce Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for Music assessments while retaining Paper-Pencil Testing (PPT) for theory, and calls for the inclusion of interactive and innovative Music items across all current and future high-stakes examination bodies, rather than relying solely on limited notation software.